The Cafe
by AshmandaLC
Summary: Crappy Title XD AU These chapters archive the encounters between a Cafe worker and a Bodyguard. YuffiexRude
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Cafe  
Summary: AU Different chance encounters between cafe worker Yuffie and Bodyguard Rude who works across the street.  
Disclaimer: I dont own Final Fantasy 7. Square-Enix does. Bleh. Sucks to be broke.  
Note: Pen Against Sword inspired me to do this with "The Strong Silent Type". I hope you're happy because i think you may have helped start a phenomenon after Conversations :)

_The Café_

She sighed, watching the seconds tick by. She had but only an hour and a half left before her shift was over. The café was dead. Only one measly customer sat in the corner, reading a romance novel. She couldn't be more than 17, as she was blushing furiously and giggling at what had to be a steamy scene.

Yuffie sighed again.

"Yuffie! Maybe you could be useful and sweep?" A voice called from the back.

_Stupid Cloud. Thinks that just 'cause he's dating the owner, he has the right to tell me what to do._

Okay, so maybe it was more than that. She was just being a grump in general.

And so maybe Cloud was doing more than just dating Tifa. They were engaged, after all. And who cared that he owned half the business? That wasn't relevant. She was tired from playing that stupid game all night. No, not just playing the game. That hadn't been enough for her. She had to jump straight in to reading a romance novel about vampires after that. _That _was enough to keep her up all night.

She contemplated the consequences of getting run over by a car to make her day a little livelier.

The bell above the door chimed as she was taking her third step in to the front closet for the broom. She poked her head out to see who it was.

A tall man came in.

_Tall doesn't cut it for this man. He's a monster! Holy shit! Look at those shoulders! And those ears…I've never seen anyone with so many ear piercings before. And he's wearing a suit?! Okay…suits and _that_ many piercings just don't go together. Where the hell does this guy work?_

She scuttled back to the counter, placing a charming smile on her face as he stood in front of her, looking above her through his shades to the menu. Actually, she just assumed he was looking at the menu. She really couldn't tell through the dark shades.

Since he was closer, she got a better look at his face.

Tanned skin appeared smooth over a very masculine, angular face. His small amount of facial hair just seemed to suit him perfectly.

_No hair on his head, though. I wonder if he's bald naturally or if he shaves it off…_

She saw some hair trying to grow back, so she came to the conclusion he did it willingly.

Dark brown eyebrows seemed to be too tense and as though they were…glaring; like he was constantly angry.

_I'd hate to piss this guy off. Maybe I should just stay quiet 'til he orders…_

And sweet Leviathan! His neck! It looked like a tree stump that connected his broad shoulders to that angry head he had.

_Oh my God...He's not human. Humans don't get this big. It's just not natural._

"Uh…Sir? Can I get you something?"

His head didn't move, so she was beginning to wonder if he hadn't noticed her until he spoke.

"Coffee. Black."

Yuffie stood, astonished. His voice was just as she had thought it would be; Low, a little rough and very fitting for a man of his stature.

She nodded quickly, turning around to reach for a cup on the shelf above her. He was still there, and still very much intimidating as she handed him his cup of coffee.

"That'll be three gil, sir."

He reached to his back pocket, pulling out a folded leather wallet. He opened it and gave her eight gil.

"Keep the change."

He took his cup and turned to find a table. She stared, gaping at the tank of a man.

_He…he gave me a tip?_

"Yuffie! Get with the sweepin'!"

She silently let out a curse.

_Leave it to Spike to ruin my concentration._

Before she made her way to the closet again, she nervously walked across the floor to his table. She stood next to him, wringing her hands.

"Um, Sir? Thank you."

His head titled a fraction in her direction and he gave a small nod. She smiled and walked back to the closet for the broom.

As Yuffie began to sweep behind the counter, she wondered if she'd ever see him again.


	2. Chapter 2

Another day. Another shift. Another damn customer.

_Won't these people ever leave?! I mean, seriously guys! It's 9:30 at night! Don't they have a life?!_

She placed another fake smile on her face and let out another fake greeting. She wasn't even looking at their faces anymore. She was too busy filling out other orders. She heard a low voice request a cup of black coffee.

_Hey! I know that voice!_

She spun around, looking on the other side of Tifa's register. He was there.

"I'll get it!" she said, quickly. After she placed the other order back on the counter in front of the customer who ordered it, she went straight to getting his coffee. She came up behind Tifa, swiftly placing his coffee on the counter and giving him the best smile she could summon at the moment.

He dropped eight gil on the counter again, grabbed his cup in his massive hand and made his way to the only empty table in the whole place. The one he had sat at last time. Just before he sat down, he heard someone shouting over the ruckus the other patrons were causing.

"Sir! Thank you very much!"

He tilted his head again and gave another small nod. He saw her smile from the corner of his eye and gave a small grin.

* * *

When he came in this time, it was almost closing time. Only Cloud was there with her and Yuffie was wiping off the tables for the night. The door chimed and she raised her head to look.

"Hello there! I'll be with you in just a moment."

He nodded, continuing his way to the counter. Once she was back behind it, Yuffie looked at him from the coffee pot.

"Usual?"

He nodded.

Yuffie watched him from the corner of her eye as she poured his coffee. He seemed tired tonight. Very tired. He was reaching up behind his sunglasses to rub at his eyes, then using his other hand to cover his mouth as he yawned to the side.

When she turned to hand his coffee, she saw him placing his usual eight gil on the counter. She placed her hand over it and pushed back to him.

"This one's on me. You look like you deserve it."

She placed his cup of coffee in one large hand and his gil in the other. He seemed to look from one hand to the other before shaking his head. He held out his hand that had the gil in it. Yuffie shook her head as well.

"Nope."

He sighed, placing the money in the front pocket of his pants. Yuffie smiled as she watched him make his way to his table.

She'd won.

She walked back out to the other tables and continued wiping them off one by one. Every so often, she would sneak a glance at him. He seemed to be watching the streets.

_Maybe he likes to people-watch…_

"Yuffie! Hurry it up!"

She saw the mystery man swiftly turn his head to the back room.

"Damnit, Cloud, I'm workin' here! Shut it!"

She grumbled as she stomped to the back room.

"I had a customer, Spike! So chill out!"

The man grinned as he listened to their banter. He took the last sip of coffee he had left and stood. He reached back in to his pocket and placed his eight gil on the table. Someone would find it, and he had a feeling it would be her.

The door chimed as he walked out.

He didn't see her nor hear her curse as she saw what he'd done.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, so askin to borrow money is outta the question. Im broke :P

She sighed.

This wasn't fair.

Cloud and Tifa got to go on a hot date while she was left to run the place by herself.

Why, oh why, couldn't she have just said she had a hot date too?

Oh wait. She did. And then Tifa had proceeded to laugh at her.

Her friends sucked.

She could at least be thankful that it wasn't a busy night. Just her friend, Vincent along with a couple of strangers.

She strolled to Vincent's table, where he was quietly reading a newspaper.

"Hey, Vince." She said, taking a seat across from him. Yuffie stole a sip of his tea before placing her head in her hands.

"Yuffie, why must you take my drinks from me?" He said, giving her a grin.

Yuffie smiled when she raised her eyes to his.

"Because you know I love you so much, and I know you love me enough to let me get away with it."

He sighed, still grinning.

"So, Vince. I've been seeing this guy…" She trailed off, waiting to see his reaction.

"You tell me you love me then tell about the guy you're dating?"

Yuffie sighed.

"I mean seeing literally. I'm not dating him. I don't even know his name. He just comes in here and keeps to himself. But he's nice. Or at least I assume he is. He leaves a five gil tip every time."

The door chimed and Yuffie stood to walk back to the counter. Once there, she saw who it was. Her eyes widened a bit.

"Usual?"

He nodded, reaching to his back pocket. She stopped him as he was about to drop his eight gil on the counter.

"Nope! I ain't takin' it! In exchange, you can tell me your name."

He stopped and looked at her. She was leaning against the counter behind her, wiggling a coffee cup in her hands.

"C'mon! Free coffee in exchange for one word. I don't want a life story or nothing. Just a name."

He seemed to debate over his choices before his mouth opened.

"Rude."

Yuffie gave him a smile before turning to get his coffee. She handed him his cup and said, "Now that wasn't so hard, now was it?"

His lips twitched with an inkling of a grin starting before his phone rang. He answered immediately, letting out a gruff, "Yes sir." He closed his phone turning to her.

"Lemme guess: to go?"

He sighed and nodded. She turned to grab a to-go cup and poured his coffee in to it, then handed it to him. As she turned to place his normal cup on the counter to be washed, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Thank you."

She turned to see him reaching over the counter to grasp her shoulder. His hand was warm and the spot was still warm even after he had walked out the door. Yuffie made her way back to Vincent's table and sighed.

"So that was him?" Vincent asked.

Yuffie nodded.

"And you just got his name?"

She nodded again.

"So does this mean you're 'seeing' seeing him now?"

Yuffie gasped, grabbing a napkin and wadding it up to throw at him.


End file.
